Try to make a decision for yourself on this topic without doing any background research. Should access to health care be guaranteed to everyone? Then, take a look at these articles (1), (2) and compare them to your original thoughts. How closely aligned were your ideas with either one of them? Did your opinion change after reading either article? Post to the blog other materials you can find on this subject.
A couple of assumptions:
1. Regardless of insurance status, citizenship, etc., anyone who presents to an emergency department with a true emergency should receive at least stabilizing treatment for whatever acute problem they are having.
2. This is about patients, not politics. We are not discussing which group of politicians is right or wrong.
31 comments:
I think yes and no. Anyone who pays taxes is deserving of at least minimal health care (doctor visits, hospital stay etc). However, it makes sense that better health care should be preferred to patients who can afford it because it is costly and health care professionals need to get paid.
My personal belief is that no one has the right to healthcare. It is a privilege not a right. Is water a right? If someone does not pay their bill does it not get cut off. To me having clean water is more of a right than healthcare and if it is considered a service then healthcare should not even be in the topic of being a right. This is not to say that for those less fortunate should not be assisted or provided these things but for the mast majority i don't believe this is the case. In our country consumers purchasing power and choice lead to a better quality of goods if we take away the options of choice then the quality will suffer. We don't allow companies to monopolize for this very reason for goods or services.
I agree that anyone who presents to the ER with a life-threatening medical emergency should be provided life saving treatment, but I agree with the Whole Food article that there shouldn't be an intrinsic right to healthcare. In the perfect world where the money to provide healthcare to everyone exists, I would be all for it, but that unfortunately is not our reality. The more realistic goal is to fix the problems with our current healthcare system before we try to make a healthcare utopia a reality.
I've always felt that access to healthcare should be universal in the US. Germany does it. The Scandavanian countries do it. So it is possible, but will U.S. special interests permit it? Politicians? The drug companies? I've stunned some of my colleague when I say that I'd give up 20% of my salary if we could get healthcare universal. It's right. It's got the patient as priority. And anything else causes a rift between the haves and the have-nots.
In class, we got to the topic of medicaid. Medicaid is a wonderful thing when used in the right way. It's the people that abuse it that make everyone assume it is all bad. I am in the process of getting medicaid for my daughter because it will help me out greatly when she has to have well-child check ups or get shots or catches something from daycare. But, in 4 years, I will not qualify for any help at all. And, after working a few years as a pharmacist, I will have paid back to the system what I got out of it. But, the people that continue to suck every bit of help from the government they can, with no intention of ever bettering their life or future, are the people that should not receive medicaid. Healthcare is a priveledge. It's a fact of life that it's not fair that not everyone gets the same quality of health care. But, some people do not want to work for anything they get. They expect everything to be handed to them. Healthcare is just like anything you buy, you get what you pay for. If it is free, it's not going to be as good as something you pay a lot of money for. It's just how the world works, whether it is right or wrong.
The goal of any health care professional is simple: provide the best quality of health care to the most amount of people. Many people argue that every american should have an equal right to quality health care. Unfortunately, this is not at easy as one might make it out to be.
More likely that not, in order to meet the demand of providing everyone with free health care, the quality of said health care would diminish in order to provide to the hundreds of thousands of millions of people that would demand it in a timely matter. While the demand for equality in health care would be satisfied, not only would the quality of that health greatly diminish, but allocating the resources to provide that health care to everyone that needed it in a timely matter would simply not be possible. The high quality of health care we currently have in America is one of the greatest aspects of our country, and diminishing that quality would take a toll on both health care providers and patients alike.
In a perfect world, everyone would have access to free, quality health care. Everyone would also have the right to healthy and nutritious meals three times a day, a home to live in, fresh water, a means of transportation, electricity, and other necessities for living in the 21st century. However, we do not live in a perfect world, and as it stands, health care is a privilege, just like everything else not guaranteed to us in the Constitution.
To me, health care is a privilege, and it seems impossible to provide the same universal care for everyone with the current system. The way we should go about handling this situation is through reform of the health care system. I agree with several of the points that the Whole Foods article makes on retooling the current system. A key to providing better health care to more individuals is making insurance more accessible. The restrictions placed on insurance companies, like the regulations against what companies can provide coverage for and insurance companies crossing state lines, need to be done away with. Individuals should be given greater choice with their insurance options, and insurance plans should be made more affordable in order to cover more individuals. Businesses should not be required to provide insurance coverage to their employees, but it is certainly beneficial to employees to have options through their employer, and in these cases a variety of plans should be available to employees. There are many individuals who choose not to pay for insurance coverage. These individuals are consciously aware of that decision and thusly should not expect health care services in a situation where they are required. That only leaves those individuals who are not insured who want to be. These individuals should be the target of insurance companies with more appealing insurance plans.
I do not believe that healthcare is a right that people should expect to be given to them freely. I think that just as you are required to have at least liability insurance on your car to be able to have it on the road people should be required to purchase some level of insurance. I also think that everyone on any plan that pays for their healthcare needs should be drug tested and assesed to make sure that they qualify it. It is too easy for people to take advantage of these systems and if it was more tightly regulated this would not be the case. I have no problem paying for me and my family to go to the doctor or to get their medicine but I do not appreciate paying for people that take advantage of this system.
Health care is a privilege, but too many people take advantage and assume they are entitled to it. The cost of making health care a right leads to one thing...higher taxes, or in this case, possibly a new tax. It is impossible to provide every American with health care at their every beck and call, and still maintain a reasonable quality of service. Health care is just another one of those things that you have to pay for, sometimes more than you would like. Emergency situations are a different story and they should be handled immediately and without going through insurance questioning. But eventually, you still have to pay and you should be willing to since your life was spared. The only things you should never have to pay for are incorrect diagnoses and poor treatment!
Kyle Crisco, P1
Class of 2015
Regardless of whether healthcare is a privilege or not, I feel that making healthcare universal or keeping it private will not solve anything. It seems that insurance rates are skyrocketing because I feel that most medicine today is curative and not preventative. Patients and doctors still have the mindset of, “We’ll treat it when it becomes a problem.” Unfortunately, at that stage, treating that problem becomes quite expensive. So, if America switches to a universal healthcare, where is the money coming from? Taxes. I feel like tax rates would skyrocket and create a whole new set of problems for the American population. On the other hand, we see it today in the private sector where insurance rates are so great that most employers are not paying for employee coverage. Soon, the only people that can afford health coverage will be the ones that can pay for it, without the help of their company.
Kirsten Ferguson
P1 Wingate Pharmacy
I think this issue could go both ways. I do believe that everyone who needs medical attention should be able to get it, especially in critical conditions. No one should be refused help if they truly need it. However, it is difficult to determine who to give and who not to give healthcare to. I think that everyone should be able to purchase their own health insurance and have the option to do so. If someone chooses to not purchase health care, they are accepting the consequences that may come with this choice. If someone needs to rely on the government to purchase health care coverage, they should agree to at home checks and drug testing to ensure that they are deserving candidates to receive help.
Healthcare is a privilege. I think that people need to make efforts to benefit themselves in order to receive these regular health care. By this I do not mean help can not be offered at all, but there needs to be strict regulations implemented by the government. I understand that with today's economic times, financial crisis's occur. In a "perfect world" I believe a system should be available for these citizens, but they should have to be drug tested in order to benefit from it and also be subjected to random drug screens any time they are receiving benefits. Also, the people getting assistance would need to have a monitor to check in with that they could prove they were making efforts to obtain a new job to be able to support themselves. This would allow people to benefit from the system without it getting taken advantage of.
Melanie Linardi
I do not believe healthcare is a right to all people. There's just absolutely no way it could happen. You could say that some services are free to all, but where do you draw the line? Who would get to determine what is free and what is worth billing for?
It's a nice idea to help all people get the care they need, but it isn't feasible. Someone will always abuse the system and ruin it for everyone. I also agree 100% with the idea that you get what you pay for. Healthcare is not an area where quality can be overlooked. In order to ensure that quality, there needs to be incentive. Sad but true, money is that incentive. Because everyone can't be trusted to be moral, we all have to pay.
I think that some form of health care should be provided to everyone. I also think that people should have a right to choose what type of plan or health care provider they want. If everyone has to switch to one set health care plan then that choice is taken away from the patient. I also do not think it is possible to give everyone the highest quality of health care for free. There would not be enough money to provide the highest quality of care to everyone. I also think that the quality of care would decrease if everyone is getting the same level of care. In a perfect world everyone would have health care and I would like that, but I just do not think that it is possible to actually achieve.
I think health care should be guaranteed to everyone in some form. I mean, the cost of healthcare is ridiculously expensive and getting to a point where some people don't even want to get help. In my opinion, there should be a universal healthcare which covers every citizen in one way or the other. I understand that there will be people who will be misusing it but by having a strict rules and regulations we can avoid these problems.
In my experience, the same people who want universal health care also complain about tax increases. I love the quote at the beginning of the 2nd article by Thatcher saying that the problem with socialism is that you run out of other people's money. Healthcare does cost, no matter who incurs the expense; I feel that this idea is often lost in the "we deserve this for free" mindset. Additionally, it seems irresponsible to add another large expense (universal healthcare) to our already massive country debt.
There are people who have a real need for healthcare aid, though, and I empathize with them. It is sad to see untreated illness because of economic reasons, especially being in a healthcare profession. But it is also sad to see homeless people down-on-their luck. The government isn't rushing to build them houses or provide them with food. Why? Because these, like healthcare, are not rights. While it would make everyone feel good to take the altruistic approach, it is not feasible without decreasing the quality of healthcare and increasing costs in other areas.
I support a system in which health care is accessible to all citizens. However, health care is more of a privilege than it is a right.
I may be missing something obvious, but I cannot think of another 'right' that guarantees you the service of an individual or organization other than the right to counsel. The legal aid provided to a citizen is paid for by the legal system, and is therefore part of governmental budgeting. However, the legal system generates money to pay for this type of activity. Citizens convicted of crimes are subject to asset confiscation and heavy fines. The money from some (convicted criminals) supports a better environment for all by deterring crime and allowing all citizens the right to an attorney. [Frankly, I do not know how governmental spending works, and perhaps funds generated do not directly go back into the system, but the point is, money is made, not lost.][Also, prison can be expensive, but I'm still guessing more money is made than is lost.]
There are many parallels, but the health care system is different. Money is certainly made, but the money generated goes directly to paying the individuals providing the health care, and to the medical companies providing the chemicals and instruments. The only way a surplus could be generated is through cutting the costs somewhere, such as lowering health care providers salaries. This would likely lower the appeal of health care careers, and may lead to reducing the quality of the workforce. Cutting corporate profits would likely lead to retardation of progress--it is possible less money would be put into new projects. How about taking it from the patients (here the equivalent of accused criminals in the example above)? Not if you are arguing that health care is a right. Once a patient pays their bill, it isn't like we also get to take their car for getting sick, as a convicted drug dealer may have their car confiscated in addition to paying fines. The money from some (those that get sick) does not provide money for others, and it does not 'deter' other from getting sick (an absurd notion.)
Ok, so the point is: the money has to come from somewhere. Should money come from taxpayers? Perhaps. If health care for all is shown to have significant benefits without leading to pitfalls such as a decrease in the quality of care, it should definitely be considered. Perhaps health care could become a right, but until a sustainable economic plan is devised, it is not viable.
I have rambled on too long, and lost my point several times, but so be it.
Slightly more brief answer: health care is not a right anymore than driving a car is a right. Most people like the idea of driving and the experiences it allows (travel for work and leisure), but if you can't afford one, no one is buying you a car. If the bus doesn't go where you are going, your options are limited. Why? Because buying everyone a car is just too expensive. It is a privilege to own a car although nearly everyone travels. It is a privilege to have health care although everyone can get sick. Yes, I'm aware this is terrible.
I tend to agree with mentor that health care should be a right to all. I understand that there are many criticisms against the idea of universal health care. However, countries that do have universal health care usually give a better quality of care to their patients and generally have better outcomes than the United States and usually spend a lot less of there GDP on health care.
I think that while basic health-care may be an ethical right to the individual that it is not a financial right to make everyone pay for it. Of course I also have a hard time saying that I am privileged to pay more than my rent every month for the right to have a private health insurance. While I’m glad I have the opportunity that is not money I have to spare. I think everyone can agree that it would be nice to lower the costs and for everyone to have some insurance coverage, but the issue is and always will be funding. I think there is also a big difference between limited programs in place for those who need them (Medicaid, etc.) and making the entire community responsible for the cost of health insurance for everyone else. If people think that some individuals abuse programs like Medicaid wait until the lobbyists, drug companies, and insurance companies become part of the creation of whatever universal system we try to create. Abuse will take on a whole new dimension. Individuals need to show a good faith in trying to improve themselves before we start trying to just fund everyone.
Jonathan Graham P1
I believe that everyone who pays taxes should have affordable heath care. I do think that some people should have health care provided based on their circumstances but in general I think that we must pay for our health care because that gives health care providers incentives to continue to be good, instead of everyone having it and health care providers slipping because no matter what they do they will get the same pay.
John Kastanis P1
I do not believe that health care should be universal but do not think of this in terms of solely Medicaid. I agree with what Cortni said about how everyone with Medicaid does not abuse the system. Those that do, destroy the image of those who truly need the help. The only thing that would make more sense, if universal care is offered, would be that those with “free” healthcare would have to make an effort to get a job and be able to afford their own insurance. A more reasonable idea is that healthcare should be offered by all employers, both part-time and full-time. This would make people more willing to go out and find a job that they may not want to have without this additive. I also think that the quality of care will decrease with an increase in quantity. If healthcare professionals know they have to reach a certain quota each day because of universal insurance than they are most likely going to spend less time in providing care. Currently emergency rooms cannot deny care for anyone, no matter if they can pay or not. This is the ultimate backup for those without insurance now because they can receive critical care and worry about paying back the hospitals later on.
I think that the health care system should be the more you pay, the better service you get. Yet it is a right to have health care, and yet it is a privilege because if you have money the better service you get so it would be a privilege because some people do not have as much money as others. I think that there needs to be a change and I just find that the more you pay, the better service you get.
Matt Nettesheim P1
Healthcare is a privilege for an individual. Health care should not be given to all people. There are many people whom work hard in order to provide their own healthcare. This same healthcare or better healthcare should not be provided to those who cannot afford or do not deserve due to lack of desire. If everyone was provided the same healthcare the medical system would be overcrowded with individuals whom should not be getting this aid. These are the individuals whom take advantage of this system.
Andrew Helms
My opinion has somewhat changed after our discussion in class. Prior to the discussion, I was absolutely against universal healthcare in every shape and form. However, now I believe that everyone who is paying taxes should receive a MINIMAL form of healthcare. However, providing everyone with the same health benefits is not a good idea. I do not think healthcare is a right, but I do believe that some less fortunate people should be provided at least minimal help. I think universal health care would cripple the economy as well as ruin the health care system as a whole. Lines at the doctor's office would be months long. Evidence is present is Canada and other countries that have gone to this system. In my opinion, instead of providing universal health care, we should work on breaking down the barriers that prevent so many people from getting health care as well as the policies that drive prices up. If you haven't, I would read the second article about the Whole Foods approach to health care. I think there are many things that could be changed first with our health care system before we just go all out and provide it to everyone.
Health care should be such that there is some basic provision of care for individuals. yes, some people do take advantage of health care provisions however certain regulations can be put in place to help cover such arears. overall, health care for everyone will be a good idea however quality should not be compromised.
Thank you
Jennifer Adjei P1
I don't think health care is a right, I think it is a privilege. However, it is not fair if we are going to help some people but not others. I think there are so many hard working people in this world that do not have adequate healthcare. However, there are people who don't have a job and don't try to have a job, but the government will provide them and their children healthcare. I don't think this is fair because their are single moms that have two jobs to support their family and can't qualify for government assistance. I just don't think it's fair.
Before I did any research, I felt that healthcare was a privilege and not a right because I didn't understand why people that have a job and pay for health insurance might have to pay 100's of dollars for a specific medication while someone that tries to live off the government and does nothing can get the same medication for free or a couple bucks and possibly complain about the dollar or two fee. I feel that it is too easy for people in the US to live off the government and basically live off of other people that work hard to support their own family.
With that said, I do believe in emergency situations that all Americans should have a right to treatment. I also think things that medicaid are a good thing in the right situations for people that truly need it and are trying to better themselves. This brings up the question of how can you monitor people who are on medicaid so that they are not just using the system.
Obviously with every option of how to fix our healthcare comes just as many problems but I feel that something needs to change. An idea that I thought of, it might not work, but if people truly need to get all their healthcare for free than I feel they should give back to the community. I feel that this could stop people from just using the system by requiring people to do some type of volunteer work or something along those lines. I feel that this would be fairly easy to monitor and so people who pay their taxes aren't just handing their money over to people who don't do anything. It would make it seem that our tax money is going towards making our community better. The people who aren't able to get a job or misuse the system should have to do something like volunteer and better the community to receive their free healthcare.
Nathan Batchelder, P1
Healthcare should be a right to a certain extent. Everyone should have basic health coverage such as a least 2 doctors’ visits and an annual physical. Education is the best way to inform people of how to live a healthy lifestyle. Ignorance is always the inhibition for people for living a lousy lifestyle. Improper education could lead to individuals taking the wrong medications or supplements. Annual physicals could inform people of potential problems so they can get prevention therapies. Also, I think there is enough beurocratic waste to slash in order to reduce insurance premiums and allow other that may not have the money to obtain basic healthcare.
I think that healthcare is a privilege. Currently, out system will provide immediate care to sustain life to people no matter what. However, if they need specialist care then they need to have a capitalist system where the best care will be available to them immediately for the best cost. Patients are more likely to abuse the system if they are allowed free healthcare because they know they will not be charged anything.
Personally, I think everybody has the right to healthcare. The reason I say this is based on my personal belief on healthcare. The real reason I chose to pursue a career in pharmacy was to fill a big gap I found in the healthcare industry. I love to help people, no matter what their social or disease status is. When it comes to providing care, the only thing that should be on the mind of the healthcare provider is to improve the life of the patient. This is the cornerstone for any healthcare provider. When anybody presents to the hospital with an emergency, regardless of insurance or any other status, they should have the right to the proper help. After all, a healthcare provider takes an oath which is based on the idea of improving the lives of others regardless of any factors.
Moe Sobh
WUSOP Class of 2015
I think this is a grey area. We are definitely not born with the right of healthcare (it is a service), but as humans, we have a moral sense to help out our fellow man. With that being said, do I think the government is responsible, no. Looking at our current economic situation, we have a debt problem. We can't afford any more financial burdens. There are more people benefiting from the government than we have people putting money into the pot. Secondly, when the government is tight on money, will the healthcare system and the people depending on the system suffer? My biggest concern with the latter question is, will there be decisions made deciding who should get what. Will my 80 year old grandmother not get the service she needs because she "doesn't contribute to society,"
I know there is a problem with the current system. We have access to some of the best healthcare providers in the world, but we can't afford it. I know most of it has to do with lawsuits, malpractice, fraud, etc.. The mentioned problems have caused the price of healthcare to rise exponentially. There are many variables that need to be taken care of in order for us to have affordable healthcare. The questions are "where do we start?" and "who needs to be involved in the overhaul process?"
Ryan Tucker, P!
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